Sunderland will not try to tear it all up again this summer. After qualifying for the Europa League on the final day of the season, Regis Le Bris said the club now expects to add three or four consistent players in different positions, a sign that the next step is about depth, not another overhaul.
That matters now because Sunderland are moving into a busier season and the transfer plan has already been taking shape for weeks. Le Bris said he and the recruitment team have spent the last couple of weeks putting the finishing touches to it, while the retained list is due out in the coming days and Dennis Cirkin has already confirmed he is leaving.
Le Bris framed the task in plain terms. “It’s a big achievement,” he said of reaching Europe, adding that he is proud of the way the team and staff have built something new. But he also warned that the reward comes with a cost. “It’s going to be different because, on average, a team who starts in Europe is supposed to lose 10 points in the league,” he said, before adding: “We’ll need three or four more consistent players in different positions, so that we can manage the schedule.”
The club’s thinking is shaped by what happened last summer, when Sunderland overhauled the squad for their return to the Premier League. This time, the mood is steadier. The plan is to build on last season’s success, not start over again, even if Europe forces the squad to stretch in several directions at once.
That stretch is already easy to map. Sunderland want more cover on the flanks, are likely to add one more central midfielder, and believe the attack needs attention too, especially with uncertainty surrounding Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda. Le Bris also wants enough cover at full-back, while Lutsharel Geertruida has yet to sign a permanent deal. Enzo Le Fee filled in on the left several times last season, which underlines how much utility the manager has already asked from the current group.
The open question is no longer whether Sunderland need more bodies. It is which positions they choose to address first, and who stays long enough to shape the next version of the team. With the retained list due soon and the window opening into a summer that will define how they handle Europe, the club has made its broad plan clear. The details now have to follow.
